As ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leader Xi Jinping lauded his government for bringing “order from chaos” with a citywide crackdown on dissent in the wake of the 2019 protest movement, an international journalists’ group said press freedom has been “gutted” in the former British colony.
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) said it was deeply concerned at the “gutting” of independent media and press freedom in Hong Kong, and called on governments worldwide to put pressure on the authorities to uphold freedom of speech in the city.
“The IFJ and its affiliates have watched the dramatic collapse of press freedom and independent media in Hong Kong over the past two years since Beijing imposed its so-called national security law,” the group said, citing the closure of at least 12 independent news organizations including the Apple Daily newspaper since the national security law took effect on July 1, 2020.